Floor installer tool and method for using

ABSTRACT

A floor installation tool and method for using same to preserve old cove base has an elongated rigid handle having at one end a rigid, essentially flat member, having a first essentially planar face, and an opposing face, and having a first curvilinear edge, a second edge essentially straight, and a point between the two as a converge point, an edge having diminishing thickness between the two faces as the edge approaches the converge point.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The instant invention relates to the carpet laying, vinyl laying and laminate installation industry. In the industry, installers will be faced with removing vinyl or other floor covering from a floor that involves cove base. The old vinyl is underneath the cove base. It is traditional for the cove base to be removed along with the old vinyl, then the new vinyl is replaced and new cove base is then installed. This obviously is an expensive process that is not necessary to the extent that most existing cove base is in good condition and need not be replaced. A tool and method is needed to allow for maintaining the old cove base in place.

During vinyl installation, vinyl is laid up the wall a few inches and the need exists to easily crease the vinyl (known as scarring), and then to cut the vinyl at the crease where the wall meets the floor.

In laying floor covering, it is also necessary often to remove the old baseboard and a tool is necessary for easily doing so without damaging the wall and that also allows for easy removal of nails.

Moreover, a need exists for removing a carpet tack strip with nails by prying underneath the tack strip, and/or chopping the strip. Quite often in the process of doing this (removing the tack strip and/or baseboard) stray nails are found and need to be quickly pulled without grabbing a different tool. A need also exists for a more convenient tool to pound the new tack strip in place.

Other needs and objectives are disclosed in specification.

Consequently, the invention is a cove base saver that allows for keeping the existing cove base when installing new flooring.

Moreover, a floor covering installation multi-purpose tool is disclosed that meets all of the above objectives and more as disclosed in the specification. It provides not only a cove base saver, but also is a scarring tool, a cutting tool, a scraper, a powerful nail puller for even the smallest headless nails, a tack strip puller and chopper, a tack strip pounder, a pry tool for prying baseboard, tack strips, cove base and door pins, a tool for allowing application of carpet or vinyl under a toe kick of a cabinet, a bucket opening tool, a mixer, a carpet tucker for tucking under baseboard, a carpet creaser, and a laminate installation tool. The flat head of the hammer allows for pounding easily next to a wall with the least likelihood of damaging the wall and allows for setting the hammer against the wall to easily pull nails. The nail puller in the flat hammer head allows for pulling nails with the least damage and allows for straightening nails nearly on the fly when pounding. Other objects and features of the invention and the manner in which the invention achieves its purpose will be appreciated from the foregoing and the following description and the accompanying drawings which exemplify the invention, it being understood that changes may be made in the specific method and apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the essentials of the invention set forth in the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the cove base and floor covering.

FIG. 4 is a side view of part of the tool in use with cove base.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The invention is depicted in the perspective view in FIG. 1. Handle 1 has two opposing ends, 3 and 5 with hand contours shown in the preferred mode. The handle 1 is rigid and in the preferred mode is made of construction strength plastic or re-enforced with a steel center therein. It is also envisioned that the entire device, including hammer/claw rigid end 7, handle 1 and rigid pry tool 9 are of one continuous rigid construction, steel for example, with a rubberized or plastic handle grip attached to the outer portion. Rigid handle 1 is attached to end 5, a rigid multi-tool pry piece. This rigid member 5 is generally flat and wide with shaped contours outlined as shown to accomplish the intended objectives. Said member 5 widens from smaller contour 9 and has two opposing sides, 17 and 18 that converge to meet at point 15. Edge 17 is essentially straight; edge 18 is essentially curvilinear as shown; in the preferred mode edge 18 becomes essentially straight beginning at point 13 and continues essentially straight to the converging point 15. Point 13 is near or just slightly off center from the imaginary center axis 16 of the tool. It will be seen that face 23 is in a slightly different plane than the backside 41 (FIG. 2) and is essentially flat. Face 23 has boundaries 21 and 25, which boundaries in the preferred mode essentially follow the outline of outer edges 18 and 17, respectively. Therein between the face 23 and the outer edges 18 and 17, the tool slopes gently downward (FIG. 19) to meet a boundary 45 (FIG. 2). The boundary 45 declines gradually from the slightest portion of the rigid device at 48 to converge at 47. This three-dimensional description discloses essentially wide and flat tool that contours in several directions generally to a converging point at 15.

At the opposing end of handle 1 is a hammer-head device 7 which functions also as a convenient widened T-handle gripping mechanism when using the pry bar 9. The rigid hammer end 7 has flat hammer-head 51 with claw means 53 at one end; at the opposing end is secondary claw means 55. It will be seen that the usefulness at having the hammer-head face, essentially flat at 51 combined with the claw 53 allows for a conveniently useful tool in the carpet and vinyl laying industry. Gripping indent 57 with edge 59, provides gripping means for opening typical five gallon buckets of glue.

In an alternative mode, the rigid pry bar means 9 has therein one or more effective nail-head removers 35 and 37. As shown, the interior opening 35 has an opening that converges to point 35 for gripping the nail-head, that expands at a larger boundary 27 so as to create the edge 31 with sloping edge 29 so as to allow the nail to be gripped. Opening 37 is similar, but reversed in the preferred mode so that the nail-head is gripped from the face side 23. It is also a smaller hole to allow for gripping the smallest of nails, headless or otherwise.

The inventive method for using the pry tool to preserve previously installed cove base involves first removing the old floor covering while leaving the cove base in place.

Next, lay the new floor covering material 65 on floor 63 loose in place. (FIG. 3).

The new floor covering is then cut just above the junction of the floor and walls at 71 in the toe area 69 so that the floor covering at 71 would not extend past the floor when laid flat so that the flooring edge lies somewhere beneath the toe area (cut at the toe area).

Using the curved edge rigid pry tool, insert the tool beneath the toe such that the top 15 is beneath the toe to lift the base up slightly.

Slide the tool underneath the toe along the wall while inserting the floor covering under the toe, smoothing the floor covering in place against the toe.

It is also used to install cove base to remove old cove base to smooth sheetrock to install new base when sheetrockers leave chunks of mud at the base of the wall.

For scarring vinyl (or carpet) the pointed end 15 is placed on the vinyl at the base of the wall where it meets the floor. A first crease can be made by using the curved edge at 13. A second and deeper scar is made using the point 15 of the tool 73 (tip of tool is shown), pressing and pulling in the direction where the straight edge 17 is the leading edge. The mark is then made for cutting. If the curved edge is sufficiently sharp, it will cut the vinyl.

The pry tool 9 is inserted behind the woodwork trim gently, flat side out, and twisted. It can pry or lift nearly any object pertinent to the trade, for example lifting cabinets slightly to fit vinyl underneath.

The edge between 13 and 15 is ideal for scraping and ripping up tile, or for chipping pieces of wood, as well as removing remaining bits of glue and caulking. It is also a general purpose edge for pulling door hinge pins.

The nail puller's 35 and 37 work particularly well because of the enclosed nature of the pulling hole combined with the type of leverage the tool provides.

The hammer head acts as a T-handle as well as a hammer for substantially improved handling and control, for example when pulling nails with the nail pullers.

The flat hammer head (57) allows not only hammering next to walls smoothly, but also acts as a toe kick bar allowing for the hammer to be placed under a cabinet while pounding on the handle itself, so as to allow the nail to be driven in under the toe kick of the cabinet.

The claw 53 in the hammer head itself is used to quickly straighten (and even pull) a nail that may have been bent during pounding.

The claw 55 is used not only for pulling nails, but its flat side 6 allows for the flat side to be situated at the wall with the claws down on the floor, to pry new laminate from the wall towards other laminated pieces so as to lock the final plank in place. This claw is sufficiently straight to also use as a chopping tool to chop tack strip for easy removal.

What is shown is a cove base saver, a unique multi-purpose pryer, hammer and nail remover, pin remover, toe kick bar, pry bar, scarring tool, scraping tool, cutting tool, chiseling tool, chipping tool, laminate tool, and cove base installing tool. 

1. A floor covering layer's tool, comprised of: a. A rigid elongated handle having opposing first and second end, said rigid elongated handle having a center axis defined by the elongation. b. A relatively flat rigid member attached at the first end, said member having a first end attached to the handle, and a second end opposite the first end, and said member having two opposing faces, one essentially planar, between the ends and having a first essentially curvilinear edge between the first end and second end, and a second edge opposite the first edge extending between the first end and second end, said first edge and second edge converging near the second end to create a converge point.
 2. The tool in claim 1 wherein the second edge is essentially straight, and wherein the first curvilinear edge has two portions, the first portion defined by a first curve extending from near the first end in a curvilinear manner to a point near the center axis, then extending in a second portion essentially perpendicular to the center axis to the converge point.
 3. The tool in claim 2 wherein the two opposing faces are comprised of a first essentially planar face, and the second face have a smaller co-planar portion, said second planar portion sloping from the planar edges of the face to the first curvilinear edge such that the first curvilinear edge is thickest between the two faces near the first end and siuch that said thickness decreases continuously over the length of the first portion of the curvilinear edge and whereby the thickness continues essentially constant over the second portion of the first edge; and wherein the second face slopes to the second edge.
 4. The tool in claim 3 having a rigid T-handle attached at the second end of the tool.
 5. The tool in claim 4 wherein the T-handle is comprised of a hammer/claw portion having two ends a first end having a hammer portion that is flat and has in said flat portion claw means for pulling and straightening nails, and wherein said second end has second claw means for pulling and straightening nails.
 6. The tool in claim 5 wherein the first end of the tool has at least one contoured hole therein for pulling nails.
 7. A method, when installing new floor covering, for preserving cove base with toe using a curved edge rigid pry tool, the steps comprised of: a. Remove old floor covering leaving cove base in place. b. Lay new floor covering material on floor loosely in place. c. Cut new material just above the junction of the floor and walls in the toe area, but no longer than the toe area. d. Using a curved edge rigid pry tool insert the tool beneath the toe. e. Slide the tool underneath the toe while sliding the tool along the wall at the toe area, while inserting the floor covering under the toe, smoothing the floor covering in place against the floor. 